U.S.FARM WEATHER CONDITIONS AND OUTLOOK-OCT., 2007

In the West, cool, wet weather across northern areas is slowing
Northwestern winter wheat planting but maintaining favorable moisture
supplies for crop emergence and establishment. In contrast, dry
conditions are favoring cotton harvesting across California and the
Southwest.

On the Plains, mild, dry conditions favor fieldwork following the
recent spell of stormy weather. However, wet fields continue to delay
summer crop harvesting across parts of Nebraska and the Dakotas.

In the Corn Belt, lingering showers continue to slow summer crop
harvesting, although the recent boost in topsoil moisture is
beneficial for emerging winter wheat. Corn and soybean harvest delays
are most significant in the western Corn Belt, where some locations
have already broken October rainfall records.

In the South, heavy rain east of the Delta is providing local drought
relief. However, extreme long-term rainfall deficits across much of
the Southeast are causing severe stress on pastures, depleting water
supplies, and limiting soil moisture for the establishment of
fall-sown crops.

Outlook: A large storm lifting into south-central Canada will
maintain cool, unsettled weather across the upper Midwest, while a
trailing cold front will generate locally heavy showers from the
eastern Gulf Coast into New England. Meanwhile, rain and mountain
snow will spread across the Pacific Northwest and northern Rockies as
abundant Pacific moisture races onshore courtesy of strong westerly
winds aloft. Over the weekend, high pressure will allow dry, mild
weather to return to the eastern half of the Nation. In contrast, a
strong cold front will generate showers across the Dakotas, while
snow falls farther west in the central Rockies. As Gulf moisture
feeds into the front, heavy rain and potentially severe thunderstorms
are expected to develop from the central and southern Plains eastward
into the lower half of the Mississippi Valley by late Sunday. The NWS
6- to 10-day outlook for October 24-28 calls for drier- and
warmer-than-normal weather west of the Rockies. Drier-than-normal
conditions will also extend eastward into the central Plains and Ohio
River Valley, while above-normal rainfall prevails in the upper
Midwest and along the Gulf and Atlantic Coasts. Below-normal
temperatures are expected from the southern Plains to the central and
southern Atlantic Coast.
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